Chocolate
by Zoni
Summary: An accident threatens to stop Ciel from greeting his guests at a ball. As always, Sebastian is the only one who can save the day. Happy Valentine's Day! Sebastian/Ciel, Lime   Collab with Midnight Voyager


**His Butler**  
_By Zoni and Midnight Voyager_

From the hallway at the top of the grand staircase, Ciel Phantomhive let out a heavy sigh. Down below him, a crowd of people was spread out across the ballroom floor. The sounds of music and conversation drifted up from the small orchestra that had been hired. There were paper hearts and sculpted cupids covering nearly every inch of his mansion. It was Valentine's Day. The bane of his existence, and yet he had been somehow suckered into hosting a ball. The 'somehow' was probably busy dancing and mingling at that very moment, undoubtedly delighted with her own success at having managed to plaster pink over a solid half of the Phantomhive manor.

A party at his mansion always drew a crowd. As was to be expected, everyone had shown up. Even Lau had come, with Ran-Mao in tow. They had been asked to leave, however. Ran-Mao had shown up wearing a set of flimsy-looking wings and something that had either been a toga or a handkerchief in a past life. Ciel was quite used to their less than tasteful clothing choices, but she had been distracting his other guests. Tonight, however, it wasn't Lau that was bothering him. It was Lizzy. She had been the one to put her foot down and insist on the party, even though she knew how much he disliked celebrations. He hated them even more when they inconvenienced his staff or his business, and this was definitely an inconvenience. She had shown up hours before the appointed time and had pestered him relentlessly ever since. He hadn't even had time to breathe, let alone time to think. For now, he had managed to make his escape. The party hadn't actually started yet and guests were still arriving. In an hour, he would be expected to formally greet everyone that had arrived. For now, however, he intended to enjoy his last few minutes alone.

Just because he was alone didn't mean that he could avoid his duties as a host. Ciel turned away from the people below him and headed towards the kitchen. The servants had been busy for the majority of the day, preparing sweets and exotic foods to delight the guests. The last of the offerings should have been finished by now, but it couldn't hurt to check. Rounding the hallway corner, Ciel spotted Sebastian coming out of the kitchen. Sebastian walked up to him, meeting him halfway down the hall. "Young master, I was just coming to look for you."

"Is something the matter, Sebastian?" Ciel asked.

"Not at all, my lord," Sebastian replied. "The last of the desserts, a French chocolate cheesecake, has been finished and all of the place settings and decorations have been completed. However, it is nearly time for you to prepare to greet your guests."

Ciel let out a sigh of annoyance. Even Sebastian was telling him that he had to deal with everyone. He just wished that he could have ten minutes to himself without having to deal with other people. Well, he didn't really mind if Sebastian was there, but the thought of having to be in the same room with Lizzy any time in the near future was enough to make him ill. However, it wasn't as if he had a choice. The guests had already gathered, and the food had been prepared. "Fine. I'll return to my chambers in a few minutes."

Ciel turned to continue towards the kitchen and ran directly into MeyRin. The large chocolate-and-caramel confection that she was carrying smashed directly into his face. Shocked, he reached up with both hands and felt the cold, gooey texture of the cheesecake that was now on his face. Bits and pieces of chocolate slid slowly down his skin, slipping past the collar of his suit shirt. The majority of the mess had splattered across his jacket and shirt, but that didn't seem to matter. MeyRin was still wailing in distress. "O-Oh my god! Young master! Are you okay? I am so sorry! This is all my fault, I-"

"MeyRin." Sebastian stood behind Ciel, momentarily forgotten. The expression on his face was dangerously neutral as he addressed the maid. "See to it that the mess you have made is cleaned up, and instruct Bard to fix an additional raspberry torte to replace this cheesecake. We do not have time to wait for another cheesecake to set."

As quickly as she was capable of moving, MeyRin scrambled back through the kitchen door. Ciel and Sebastian found themselves standing alone in the hallway. Sebastian let out a heavy sigh. "Such a waste. I spent so much time on that cheesecake, too." He turned to look at Ciel. "And this happened so close to the introductions, as well. I should have known that you wouldn't be able to stay out of trouble, young master."

"I'm not the one causing trouble!" Ciel said, glaring at Sebastian.

"Regardless of who is at fault, we will have to get you changed before you will be able to greet your guests." Sebastian turned and motioned down the hallway. "Please come with me, young master."

Leading the way, Sebastian guided Ciel back towards the earl's chambers. Once inside, Ciel stood by the bed as he waited for Sebastian. The butler set out a fresh shirt and jacket and picked out a new neck tie. Quickly, Sebastian retrieved a damp wash rag and a small basin of water from the adjoining bathroom. He knelt in front of Ciel and began to remove the boy's jacket and shirt. "It's very fortunate that most of the cake did not get into your hair," he said, smiling. "You're rather adorable when you're all messed up like this, young master. The chocolate goes rather well with the pink bow that Miss Elizabeth pinned on your cravat, I see."

"Shut up, Sebastian," Ciel huffed. He wasn't in the mood to deal with any of Sebastian's attitude tonight.

Sebastian sighed as he looked up at his master. "You should at least try to enjoy yourself at the ball, young master."

"What's so fun about a ball? It's a bunch of self-important socialites who simply want to impose themselves on our hospitality. If Lizzy hadn't insisted on this to the point of driving me crazy, I wouldn't have to deal with it."

"Many people have come out today just to visit you, young master." Sebastian leaned back and slid the jacket off of Ciel's shoulders. "Isn't Valentine's Day supposed to be about enjoying the people you love?"

"My family is dead." Ciel's voice fell flat as he responded. The eye that wasn't covered with an eye patch drifted down towards Sebastian. The butler was so close that Ciel could feel his breath against his skin. The earl blushed. "Besides, I have more important things to worry about right now."

Sebastian looked up at him, meeting his gaze evenly. After a long pause, he said, "My apologies, young master. I didn't realize that you were feeling so depressed by the holiday."

"Well, there is Lizzy to think about, I guess..." Ciel cleared his throat, looking hurriedly away from Sebastian. The butler's lips twitched in amusement. Quickly, the earl straightened himself up. "Hurry up and help me change my shirt. I have guests to attend to."

Standing, Sebastian picked up the chocolate and caramel covered clothing and set it on a wooden chair. He pulled the wash rag out of the basin it was sitting in and leaned down to clean some of the mess off of Ciel's face. The concoction had managed to drip halfway down his chest, across his chin, and covered half of one cheek. If the boy hadn't reached up and dipped his fingers in it, his hands would have been spared, as well. As it was, his skin was flecked with chocolate and caramel bits from his nose to his navel. With the way that he was pouting and blushing, it was easy to tell that Ciel had been embarrassed by their brief conversation. He really was adorable. Sebastian set the wash rag aside and leaned down, kissing him.

Startled, Ciel stepped back. "S-Sebastian! What do you think you are doing? This isn't the time for that!"

"My apologies, young master. You looked so delicious that I couldn't resist," Sebastian replied. He leaned down and licked one of the caramel dribbles off of Ciel's cheek. All of his protests died on his tongue as Sebastian knelt before him, letting his lips trail down across his neck and chest as he went. The demon's warm lips and tongue traced the dessert's pattern across his skin.

Raising his hands in protest, Ciel exclaimed, "Sebastian! We can't. The ball is about to start and I-" Ciel's mouth dropped open as Sebastian's tongue flicked across a pale pink nipple, drawing a gasp from the the earl's throat. "I have to greet guests, and I-" Ciel's protest turned into a groan as he felt Sebastian's fingers on the small of his back, pressing him ever closer to the demon.

Slowly, Sebastian pulled back and licked his lips. He smiled. "I'm sorry, young master. What were you saying?"

"I said that we don't have time for-!" Ciel stopped and stared as Sebastian picked up one of his hands, sliding the rings off of his fingers. Lifting the hand towards his lips, Sebastian reached out with his tongue and licked the tip of his index finger. Sebastian's lips closed around the tip of the finger and he began to suck on the digit. The very edge of his teeth drifted down the length of the extremity. Ciel's eyes were completely fixed on the sight of Sebastian sucking on his finger. He couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence. The sight of the demon flicking his tongue out to lick little pieces of caramel off his skin was enough to drive him to distraction.

Sebastian pulled away, taking the last few pieces of sticky chocolate from the very edge of the finger with his lips. Moving on to the next finger, he ran his tongue along the top of Ciel's middle finger before pulling all of it into his mouth. He swirled his tongue along the digit before pulling back. Then, he took both fingers into his mouth at once, sucking the leftovers of chocolate and caramel away. He took his time cleaning each of the fingers in a similar fashion. Finally, he pulled away and licked the rest of his master's hand clean. Pressing a kiss to the back of Ciel's hand, he began to trail smaller kisses up the boy's arm.

"Sebastian," Ciel murmured. Placing his hands on either side of his face, Ciel brought Sebastian's gaze up to meet his own. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to Sebastian's. Ciel moaned as both of Sebastian's arms wrapped around him, pulling him closer as Ciel's tongue found its way into his mouth. Sebastian tilted his head and pressed himself closer to Ciel. By the time they broke apart, they were both panting.

Sebastian rested his face against Ciel's hands, ignoring the fact that one of them was still covered in part of the dessert. Tilting his head towards the chocolate-covered hand. His tongue darted out to lick some of the sweetness away from Ciel's fingers. Bringing one of his hands away from Ciel's back, he pressed it against the boy's chest, letting his fingers drift across the skin that he had licked clean only moments before. Biting his lip, Ciel forced himself to quash a groan. He was having trouble staying quiet. He always had trouble keeping quiet. Sebastian's touch was mesmerizing. This time, however, guests were only a few rooms away. Unable to stop himself, he reached his clean hand out and buried it in Sebastian's hair, smiling when the demon made a soft sigh of contentment at the touch.

As soon as Sebastian had finished licking the other hand clean, he leaned in and pressed his lips to Ciel's chest. The demon's touches made Ciel feel weak in the knees, and the only thing that was keeping him up was Sebastian's hand at his back. The demon ran his tongue roughly against one of Ciel's nipples. His free hand drifted down across the earl's stomach, carefully undoing the clasp that held Ciel's trousers closed. His long fingers slowly began to remove the offending garment. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

The door to Ciel's bedroom swung open and Elizabeth Middleford stepped into the room, glancing around. "-iel, are you in here? It's time to go downstairs. You're supposed to escort me..."

"Lizzy! What are you doing? I'm trying to get dressed!" Ciel gasped in surprise as Sebastian pulled his face away from Ciel's skin faster than he would have thought possible. "Do you ever wait after you knock?"

"I'm so sorry, Ciel! I... I just wanted to find you! I'll wait outside." Lizzy turned and vanished out the door and into the hallway as quickly as she had come, shutting the door behind herself.

Ciel's heart was beating so fast that he wondered if it might not pound its way out of his chest. He wasn't certain if it was from the shock of Lizzy bursting in like she had or from what Sebastian had been doing only a moment before. Reaching up, Ciel pressed a hand to his chest and tried to catch his breath. Looking up at him, Sebastian asked, "Are you okay, young master?"

"Just... help me finish dressing."

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian smiled and refastened Ciel's trousers. He stood and went to get the clean shirt and jacket that he had laid out earlier. Using the wash cloth to wipe off the last of the caramel and chocolate, he then helped Ciel to dress as quickly as possible. Finally, he tied a fresh cravat around the boy's neck.

Ciel turned and walked towards the door of his room. When he felt Sebastian's hand on his shoulder, he stopped. Turning, he looked up at the butler questioningly. Sebastian straightened out the collar of the shirt, smoothing out a couple of wrinkles in his jacket as he went. Then, he bent down and pressed a soft kiss to Ciel's lips. As he pulled away, Sebastian whispered, "Happy Valentine's Day, young master."

Ciel stared at him for a moment, wide-eyed and blushing. Then, he pulled the door to his room open and slid into the hallway. As soon as he was out of the bedroom, Lizzy latched onto his arm and began to pull him down the hallway. Ciel looked back towards his room. Out of the corner of his eye, he could still see Sebastian. The butler reached a finger up to his cheek, scraping off a little of the cheesecake that had stuck to his skin. Sebastian's eyes glowed as he licked his finger clean, his lips curling into a promising smile.

~(*)~

_Author's Notes:_

_Happy Valentine's Day from Middy and Zoni! We also have decided to give you a recipe for the French chocolate cheesecake mentioned above. That way, you can lick it off your own bocchan. ;-)_

French Chocolate Cheesecake: allwomenstalk dot com / 21-ingredients-and-directions-of-french-chocolate-cheesecake-receipt 


End file.
